Customer Reviews

Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things About a House

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is definitely a book to get for the pictures. Warm and whimsical drawings make up the bulk of this oversized picture book. Kids can follow a brother and sister through the different rooms of a rather busy household--there are different times of day, different seasons of the year, different family members present, and definitely a lot of THINGS (some of them quite wacky) scattered everywhere. Among them are a couple of stuffed animals that follow the kids everywhere they go (one is a winged donkey?!!?). It's almost like a "Where's Waldo?" as you search for them each time you turn the page. The illustrations definitely portray a well-lived-in house that is a ton of fun to explore.

On the down side, the text is nothing to go crazy over. To me it sounds like someone talking off the top of their head--not well-crafted prose, but momentary thoughts. It's almost as if the book was not meant to have words--the adult is just supposed to make up their own story as the kid looks at the pictures--but they included words just in case the adult couldn't think of anything to say. Sometimes the words don't even match the pictures--for the life of me I can't find the dinosaur-shaped sponge anywhere in the bathroom!

That aside, this is a really fun picture book on a unique subject --perfect for some quiet one-on-one exploration with your child.

"There are many kinds of houses in the world, from little cottages to big mansions, from farmhouses to bungalows. But no matter the kind of house, it is the living inside that makes it wonderful, what happens in each room that makes it marvelous. It is what the house means to those who live there. Let's walk through. Let's see the wonderful things about a house." And with an invitation like that, who could resist. Join author, Cynthia Rylant, and illustrator, Wendy Anderson Halperin, as they take the reader on a room by room tour of their house. From the front porch to the attic, and all the rooms in between, this dynamic duo investigates each room, detailing all the special things that belong there, and all the wonderful things you might do. Ms Rylant's gentle, lyrical prose is rich in imagery and magic. But it's Ms Halperin's colorful, busy, and expressive artwork that really makes this picture book stand out and sparkle, and she spares no detail in each fun-filled, joyous, cluttered picture. Young and old, alike, will linger over each two page spread, always finding something new and clever every time they open the book and explore a room. Perfect for preschoolers, Let's Go Home is a cozy and engaging read-aloud that's sure to open interesting discussions about your own home and what makes it unique and special. "Happy living."

When I was little, I loved looking through books with great drawings that FILLED the pages and left little white space - this is such a book - SO much detail, you could look at each page for several minutes. Just a neat book. Each time I read it, as a mom I want to spring up and clean something, just to ensure that my kids are having wonderful memories in OUR house, as the book encourages.

This is another favorite book in our house, and is read regularly. Great book to snuggle up and read in front of the fireplace in the winter, and the pictures are so beautiful!

Our grandchildren really enjoy listening to this book and examining the pictures. We are ordering more of them to go home with the kids. They never seem to tire of it.